Car-coupling



L. L. FROST.

OAR COUPLING.

(No Model.)

No. 445,279. Patented Jan. 27,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD L. FROST, OF BARADA, NEBRASKA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,279, dated January 27, 1891.

Application filed April 19, 1890. Serial No. 348,647. (No motleL To ail whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEONARD L. FROST, a citizen of Barada, in the county of Richardson and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplers, and has for its object to produce a car-coupler which shall be simple in construction and easy and effective in operation.

A further object is to provide an improved coupling-pin by means of which the link will be held in position to enter into a draw-head.

A further object is to produce a couplingpin constructed and applied to a draw-head insuch a manner that it shall of itself, without the intervention of auxiliary devices, he automatic in the coupling operation.

A further object is to provide a draw-head with means for maintaining thelink in a normal level position.

With these objects in View the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View. Fig. t is a view illustrating a modified form of transverse bar. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate modifications of the coupling-pin. Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate modifications of the invention.

A represents a draw-head, which in general construction is similar to draw-heads nowcommonly in use. Made in the center of the top and bottom of the draw-head are aligned perforations a a b b, and located within the draw-head upon the bottom thereof is a block B, having a recess 0, adapted to partiallysurround the perforation h, for a purpose which will presently appear. Passing transversely through the draw-head in rear of the perfo* rations a a is a bar 0, supported at its ends in notches cl, made in the walls of slots 01' in the side walls of the draw-head, whereby said bar may be adjusted at different distances from the bottom jaw of the draw-head. The transverse bar C is preferably made of spirally-twisted metal or in other manner to insure more or less elasticity, and is so located in the draw-head that a coupling-link D may be inserted beneath it and be maintained in a level position by means of said bar, whereby it will at all times be in position to enter a draw-head with which it is to be coupled. By making the cross-bar of elastic metal it will readily adjust itself to links of different thicknesses without the necessity of further adjustment.

In lieu of the transverse bar D, of elastic metal, said bar may be made in the form shown in Fig. 4. In this form the bar is pivotally supported at its ends in one pair of notches in the walls of the slots (1' and is provided with a lip or flange 6, adapted to project downwardly. \Yith this form when the link enters the draw-head it strikes the lip or flange and is guided beneath the bar, the flange being elevated sufliciently to permit the link to pass under it. varying thicknesses may be employed, the flange 6 being elevated to admit thelink, and in all cases the flange will normally rest on the link.

Passing through the perforations a a, Z) Z) is a coupling device or pin E. This device is preferably made in a single piece of substantially inverted-U shape, comprising the pin proper E and a guide-rod E the pin being adapted to pass through the perforations a a, and the guide-rod E being adapted to pass through the perforations b b. The guide-rod E is provided with a shoulder f, adapted when two cars are to be coupled to rest upon the bottom of the draw-head at the top of the perforation 17, thus maintaining the pin E elevated. With the notch as shown in Fig. 5 and the coupling-pin elevated, as in Fig. 1, when the link enters the draw-headit passes under the transverse bar D and strikes the guide-rod E and disengages the shoulder f, thus permitting the pin to fall within the link.

By providing the block 13 in rear of the guide-rod when the link of another car strikes the guidebar E the latter will be prevented from being bent or otherwise injured.

In the form of device shown in Fig. l the Thus links of v shoulder is made on the reverse side from the shoulderon the form shown in Fig. 5, and on the inner face of the pin near its free end a notch g is made and adapted to receive and hold the link in position for coupling, the weight of the pin holding the link up level until contact of an approaching draw-head is. made, when the link is forced back, thereby being disconnected from the pin, whereupon the pin drops down into proper position. Then the link is disengaged from the notch g in the pin, the pin drops down, said notch coming below the line of draft, thereby avoiding any weakening of the pin. Vith the shoulderf on the rear side of rod E as shown in Fig. 1, the shoulder f is disengaged and the pin permitted to fall by the jarring of the draw-head, caused by the engagement therewith of the draw-head to which it is to be coupled.

In the form of pin shown in Fig. 6 thenotch g is dispensed with, and in lieu thereof a notched block 72 is inserted in a slot in the end of the pin.

hen it is notdesired to couple the car, the pin may be made to enter a socket F in rear of the perforation a.

I do not wish to restrict myself to the use of a single guide-rod, as more than one may be employed.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 8 the pin is provided at a point in or approximately in its cent-er with a screwthreaded perforation. In proximity to the pin a guide-rod i is passed through this perforation in the draw-head and projects downwardly therefrom. A screw-threaded arm j projects at right angles to the rod 7; and is adapted to enter the perforation in the pin, which latter is made with a notch 7t near its lower end to receive a link, as previously explained. Another guide rod Z is passed through a perforation in the draw-head and projects upwardly therefrom, being provided at its lower end with a screw-threaded arm Z adapted to enter the screw-threaded perforation in the pin.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig.

7 the guide-rod an is passed through perforations in the draw-head and made to project above and below the same,being provided at a point between its ends with a screw-threaded arm on to enter a similarly-threaded perforation in the pin.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a draw-headhav ing aligned perforations therein, of a couplingpin and guide-rod adapted to pass through said perforations, said guide-rod having a shoulder thereon, and a rigid block in the draw-head in rear of the perforations, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a draw-head having openings or perforations therein, of a coupling-pin and connected guide-rod adapted to pass through said perforations, said guiderod having a shoulder thereon for engaging the draw-head, and a link-supporting device located in a vertical plane passing between the plane of the coupling-pin and the plane of the guide-rod, the said link-supporting device being supported at its ends in the sides of the draw-head, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a draw-head having aligned perforations therein, of acouplingpin passing through said perforations and a link-supporting device of elastic material passing through the d raw-head and supported LEONARD L. FROST.

Yt'itnesses:

GEO. W. MARsH, O. ScnoENHnrr. 

